


Katōn

by butchsakura



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Family Bonding, Family bonding through fire breathing, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Gen, M/M, Sarada being a smart kid, Trans Male Character, Trans Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Clan Stuff, Uchiha Sasuke Being a Good Father, naruto only appears at the end, not directly mentioned but thats how they have sarada, sns love child sarada
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:54:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23391289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butchsakura/pseuds/butchsakura
Summary: For her 12th birthday, Sasuke teaches his daughter how to breath fire. Sarada takes the father-daughter outing as an opportunity to ask some heavy questions.
Relationships: Uchiha Sarada & Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 8
Kudos: 166





	Katōn

Sasuke was staring at the surface of the lake. Sarada stared at him, waiting for him to come back from whatever trance he was in.

“Dad.”

Sarada tugged at her father’s sleeve. He turned to look at her like he had forgotten she was there.

“Dad, why did you bring me here?”

Sasuke gazed at the lake again. Sarada felt a spark of annoyance, thinking he was going to keep ignoring her.

Without gazing away, her father put his hand on her shoulder and pulled her closer. “Sarada, I want to show you something.” Sarada strained her eyes, trying to see what he meant. But she could only see the tranquil surface of the lake and the surrounding trees, their leaves dancing in the wind.

Her father let out a long sigh and stepped away, walking closer to the edge of the dock. He raised a hand to his face, forming familiar signs, and threw the other back. Sarada immediately understood the signal and stepped back.

“Katōn: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!”

A gigantic fireball covered the entire expanse of the lake, singeing the leaves on the nearest trees and evaporating the water on the surface. The birds on their immediate surroundings flew away as the temperature grew higher. Sarada felt the stinging heat and had the instinct to raise her arms to protect herself but instead wrapped her hands around her elbows to contain herself. The jutsu was so intense it caused the displaced wind to whip her hair and sweat started to bead on her face.

After a few seconds the fire started to lose its intensity, until it consumed itself completely. The water of the lake, already at its boiling point, returned to its usual state.

It wasn’t the first time Sarada had witnessed this jutsu, she had seen her father use it a few times during combat, but never for so long or with such intensity. This particular katōn had been… breathtaking. Sarada had never thought that fire could be so beautiful until today.

She still had goosebumps when her father turned to her.

“You knew this jutsu, right? Do you know the hand signs?”

Sarada nodded.

“Then show me.”

Their eyes met. Sarada hadn’t noticed her mouth was so dry. Maintaining eye contact, she mechanically went through the signs. Snake, ram, monkey, boar, horse, tiger. While doing the last sign, she was surprised to find chakra building in her throat. Subconsciously, she had started kneading chakra to perform the jutsu she had just seen, as if her body knew it on instinct.

For the first time since they had stepped on the dock, her father smiled. It was almost imperceptible, just a twitch of his lips, but Sarada didn’t miss it, feeling a warmth in her chest that had nothing to do with the fire.

“You shouldn’t have stopped. I want to see you try it.”

Without saying a word, they changed places. At the edge of the dock, Sarada breathed in deep, drawing in oxygen. She did the hand signs again, more smoothly this time, kneading chakra with purpose. She parroted her father’s words.

“Katōn: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!”

Sarada felt the exact moment the chakra building up in her throat became fire. She let it out in a steady stream, almost a meter long, surprising herself with its reach. When she was done, her mouth tasted like ashes.

“I did it!” She exclaimed excitedly, feeling surreal.

Sarada spinned around to look at her father with stars in her eyes. She found him closer than expected, sporting a real smile. Even more strange, his Sharingan was on.

“And you did it well. My first katōn didn’t even reach that far.” He reached up to her head to muss her hair.

Unable to contain herself, Sarada hugged him, buzzing with excitement. She tried to picture her father as a scowling child, angry because his fireball wasn’t as cool as he wanted, and couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her. Her father hugged back, smiling proudly.

When they broke apart, her father’s eyes were black again, and his smile had turned nostalgic.

“Sarada, you make a fine Uchiha.”

He fixed his gaze on the lake. Sarada feared he might get lost in his head again. Like he could read her mind, her father reached for her and squeezed her at his side.

“It was our clan’s most basic ninjutsu. The Uchiha were katōn masters. That’s what our emblem symbolizes, the clan’s dominion over fire. You had no right to wear the fan on your back if you couldn’t make a proper katōn. The faster you mastered it, the better your reputation within the clan…” His voice had taken on a strange quality, both far away and here at the same time. “Your grandmother and uncle would be proud of you, Sarada.”

 _Your grandmother and uncle_. Sarada was surprised to hear her father mention his family. Neither of her dads liked to talk about their past, but Sasuke in particular was much more delicate regarding the subjects of his early childhood and his family. Sarada knew that she had been born into a dead clan, that her father and her were the last of the Uchiha, but she had never been bothered enough to research it on her own and she didn’t feel comfortable asking her parents about it.

She thought he would continue talking, but her father seemed to be done, shaking his head and sitting cross-legged on the dock. Sarada stared at him for a moment, trying to read his mind. She gave up a few seconds later, chastising herself for being so silly.

Turning her back on him, Sarada realized the katōn again. The result was similar to the first time. It looked more like a flamethrower than a fire ball. Sarada frowned.

One more time. Sarada squared her feet and drew in as much oxygen as her lungs could fit. Then she tried the jutsu again. This time the stream of fire actually became round at the end, about a full meter ahead of her. But it still wasn’t big enough. Sarada grinned.

She lost time of how many times she repeated the jutsu. She quickly got used to the feeling of fire in her throat and the taste of ashes in her mouth.

“Katōn: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!”

Sarada released a fireball a quarter of the size of her father’s. She maintained it for as long as she could, feeling proud of herself. Then she sat next to her father, taking off her shoes.

“Tired already?” He sounded amused. Sarada rolled her eyes.

“It turns out breathing fire is more exhausting than it looks.”

Silence settled over them. Feet dangling over the water, Sarada leaned forward. From up close she could see a couple of fish swimming idly. She watched them come and go, enjoying the feeling of calmness.

In a low voice, so as not to break the atmosphere between them, she asked, "My uncle, my grandmother, the rest of the Uchiha. How did they die?"

It was like time stopped around them. Her father became very, very still. Just for an instant, their eyes met. Sarada knew her father had the uncanny ability to wipe his face devoid of any emotion, but the question had startled him, leaving him wide open. She could see the turmoil clearly reflected in his eyes. Surprise, fear, sadness, grief, anger. Sasuke looked away.

"I suppose you're old enough to know…" His voice sounded rough. He scrubbed his eyes with a heavy sigh.

And he began talking. About his family and the history of his clan. About the relationship between his brother and his father. About Uchiha Itachi, the genius who was never allowed to be a child. About the village that didn't let him. About Danzō and the council, how they manipulated Itachi into murdering his own clan, and the Sandaime who did nothing to stop them. He talked about being the last Uchiha, the avenger who would pass justice for his clan. About growing up drowning in hatred and the thirst for revenge. And he talked about Naruto, about senseless fights and petty arguments. About making up excuses to feel each other close and understanding the other wordlessly. About a feeling so intense it couldn't possibly be put into words. About misunderstandings and fighting to the death. He talked about the reunion and the inevitable reconciliation.

"You should've learned about the war in the Academy. We defeated Madara, undid the Infinite Tsukuyomi, saved the world. And then we came back to the village. We exposed the truth about the Massacre and had Koharu and Homura arrested. They killed themselves in jail before the trial. A new council was established and we fought for years to implement reforms. And then… you were born."

When he was done, Sasuke finally raised his head. Sarada didn't catch his expression. With tears in her eyes and her heart about to beat out of her chest, she threw herself into his arms and latched onto him like her life depended on it. He hugged back just as tightly, softly petting her hair.

Sarada tried to calm her racing heart, trying to process what she had been told. She knew her parents had had a tough life. She had always been observant, had noticed early on that her parents were prone to get lost in their memories. Her dad in particular would often wander the house at night, haunted by nightmares. During the day he would sometimes go very still, gaze fixed on a single spot, trapped inside his own head. Once, a few years back, she had asked her papa why her dad acted that way and Naruto had explained to her that sometimes Sasuke couldn't forget his past, and the best they could do for him was to remind him that they would always be by his side. So Sarada became used to grounding him when he lost his grasp on the present and dragging him to bed with her when he was restless at night. Yet she could have never imagined this to be the source of his behaviors. Her father had suffered so much by the time he was her age.

A surge of affection hit her. She wanted to say something to console him, but the words escaped her. Sarada hugged her father tighter, trying to muffle her tears. Knowing the whole story had made her see him in a different light, not just as "her father", but as Uchiha Sasuke, a person separate from her, with his own story, his own hopes and dreams.

Still in his arms, Sarada heard loud footsteps heading their way and recognized the voice even before the words reached them.

"SASUKEEEEE!" Naruto screeched, absolutely shattering the father-daughter moment. "You can't keep hoarding our daughter on her birthday! How long are you planning to stay there?"

Sasuke broke apart from the hug and turned to his husband with a smirk. "Did you miss us, Naruto?"

Naruto scrunched up his face and crossed his arms, undoubtedly preparing himself to scream some more. Before he could start, Sarada dried her tears and stood up. 

"We were just about to leave, Papa." She took Sasuke's hand, tugging on his arm to get him to stand up as well. He let himself get pulled up without much resistance. 

They walked hand-in-hand until they reached Naruto. Sarada extended her free hand towards him. Immediately, her papa's face lit up and he took it, beaming. 

"I was just about to eat your birthday lunch, y'know– Ah! Sarada-chan, were you crying? Teme, what did you do to her!?”

Her parents started arguing as usual. Sarada smiled. Walking between her fathers, hands intertwined, about to spend her birthday with Aunt Sakura, Kakashi-san, and the rest of her family, she has never felt more content. 

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday Sarada!
> 
> I rly tried to hold back on the politics at the end bc this was supposed to focus on the relationship between sasuke and sarada and not on like,,, everything else thats wrong with naruto lmao. still some of that slipped through gomen all u need to know is that naruto and sasuke are cohokages and actually manage to get shit done instead of whatever the fuck naruto is doing in boruto. 
> 
> this was born from my seething rage abt naruto and sasuke being bad fathers (NARUTO AND SASUKE!!!! OF ALL PEOPLE!!!) and my intense desire to take sarada and place her in a good anime. but also the other day i read a weird fic where sasuke married naruto and they had sarada but he still left??? for some reason??? which was so fuckin crazy if i didnt write this to fix it immediatly i would die. so here we are. thank u for kicking my ass into action random fanfiction writer!!!
> 
> leave a comment if u can!!
> 
> twitter: [ginhijizura](https://twitter.com/ginhijizura?s=09)  
> tumblr: [butchjolymes](https://butchjolymes.tumblr.com)


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